ATLANTA – The Mount Mary tennis squad finished off its Great South Athletic Conference Tournament run on a high note Sunday morning, securing the consolation championship with a 5-0 sweep of Wesleyan College (Ga.).
"Today's match was indicative of our season," head coach Tom Troast said. "We won a lot of close points and all those close games to secure the victory today."
"It speaks of the character of this team—it's been a wonderful group of young women that have represented our institution and I couldn't have been more proud. It's been a privilege to be part of this group of outstanding women."
Akin to Saturday's win over Rust, Mount Mary (8-6) swept all three doubles flights against Wesleyan (2-11) to take a 3-0 lead after doubles competition.
Senior Katie Wolk (Oshkosh, Wis.) and freshman Ana Mercado (Grafton, Wis.) made quick work of their Wolves opponents at flight No. 2, 8-0, and senior Briana Lock (Milwaukee, Wis.) and sophomore Brooke Slamka (Racine, Wis.) notched an 8-2 victory at No. 3 doubles.
The doubles match of the day was clearly at the No. 1 flight, where senior Kat Reynoso (Brookfield, Wis.) and junior Nina Her (Brown Deer, Wis.) were locked with their Wesleyan foes at 6-6. With their Blue Angel teammates looking on, Reynoso and Her made a decisive final push to take home the 8-6 victory.
Entering singles play, Mount Mary wasted no time taking complete control as freshman Andrea Monacelli (Sussex, Wis.) cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles, while Wolk clinched the team victory with a 6-2, 6-0 victory at flight No. 4.
"It seems so fitting that the season came to an end with a win on Katie's racquet," Troast said.
While the other four singles matches were officially abandoned after Wolk's singles win, Her, Mercado and sophomore Krista Olson (Appleton, Wis.) all owned big leads in their respective flights.
The Blue Angels finish the season with an 8-6 overall record—the most wins and the team's highest win percentage in school history. With likely the most competitive match of the weekend followed by a pair of dominant performances, Mount Mary also takes home a fifth place distinction in its first-ever postseason league tournament.
"To have the season end with a victory in this tournament was just wonderful," Troast said. "I cannot speak without great understatement my appreciation of what this team has accomplished this year. Two wins in our last competition in this tournament was just a great way to finish off this special season."
This breakthrough season was headlined by the strong play of its four seniors—Wolk, Lock, Reynoso and graduated-senior Emily Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.)—who all played a major role in the team's success.
"We spent time this morning with some special recognition of our seniors," Troast said. "It goes without saying that Katie, Briana, Kat and Emily have come a long way in their years of playing for Mount Mary. They finished their tennis careers on a team that had a winning record, proved that it could win in a postseason tournament and set a new standard for Mount Mary tennis."
